The rival parties on Thursday failed to negotiate the redrawing of a new electoral map, missing the legal deadline and further complicating the political and partisan strategies for next year’s general elections.

Separate from the failed talks, the National Assembly passed a package of pending bills including a ban against large retailers doing business near traditional markets to jumpstart the parliamentary session, which has been stalled over the government’s push to reinstate state-authored textbooks.

While the ruling Saenuri Party and the main opposition New Politics Alliance for Democracy passed a motion to extend the operation of a committee dealing with electoral rules, they were required to vote their new electoral map by the Friday plenary session.

If the lawmakers fail to come up with new constituency maps by year-end, the country is to head to general elections without any electoral zones, as the efficacy of the current zones expire on Dec. 31.

The parties, however, have not met a single legal deadline for rezoning electorates since early 2000s.

The lawmakers have clashed over the rules that would determine the number of seats for the lawmakers elected through votes at local constituencies and the seats for those who obtain their parliamentary seats through proportional representation system.

The Saenuri Party has favored a plan to reduce the number of proportional representation seats, but the NPAD and another minor opposition party insist the 54 seats given to the proportional representation scheme remain the same as the current level.

The parties are to continue the negotiation at the extended electoral rules committee.

In a 188-14 vote, with 23 abstaining, the rival parties agreed to extend the committee’s operation -- which was set to end on Nov. 15 -- until Dec. 15.